Petition against 2,000-acre solar development across Northamptonshire reaches over a thousand signatures

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition opposing plans to develop solar farms across Northamptonshire, one that will take up 950 hectares (2,347 acres) of Northamptonshire countryside.

The petition was started on March 6, just one day after a non-statutory consultation held at Mears Ashby village hall, by North Northamptonshire Councillor Martin Griffiths who believes the development’s ‘sheer scale’ is problematic.

He said: “This petition was started six weeks ago to raise public awareness of the plans by Island Green Power to develop the largest solar farm in the UK in our area, and I am amazed that some local politicians claimed I was scaremongering.“I, and I am sure the vast majority of the 1,000 plus signatories, am not opposed to solar and the need for renewable energy creation.

"It is the sheer scale of the initial plans and the effect on our wonderful rural communities in particular Bozeat, Easton Maudit, Grendon and Mears Ashby.“I will leave the petition open as plans come forward from Green Hill Solar in the weeks and months ahead.”

If approved, the project would spread across seven sites in and around Grendon, Bozeat, Earls Barton, Mears Ashby, Holcot and Walgrave, taking up a total area of 3.6 square miles.

Island Green Power, the company behind the ‘Green Hill Solar Farm’ development, claim the plans would help to store surplus renewable generation to be deployed to the national grid when needed.

They believe it would provide a maximum power output of 500 MW, providing a ‘substantial source of renewable electricity for the region and country.’

However, many have criticised its potentially harmful impact on food production, biodiversity, house prices and potential to disrupt the area’s natural beauty, believing that Northamptonshire is taking ‘more than its fair share’ of renewable energy infrastructure.

Cllr Griffiths’ petition does not call for the project to be scrapped, rather is advocating for a ‘balanced progress towards sustainable living’, and that the proposal should look to take up less space.

Support for the pushback has shown a strength of resolve among locals, with many believing the loss of agricultural and farmland should be protected.

When the petition launched, Cllr Griffiths said: “Our community deserves a say in how we transition to renewable energy sources.

"We should be able to choose solutions that respect our environmental concerns while still meeting energy goals

“Therefore, we urge decision-makers involved in this project to reconsider its scale and impact on our community."

The petition is still live, and can be found here.